Google’s Road Back to China Littered With Obstacles

‘China has a very long memory. I would expect a lot of pushback from regulators,’ says one analyst

By

Liza Lin in Shanghai and

Shan Li in Beijing

Aug. 2, 2018 6:41 am ET

Google’s development of a censor-friendly mobile search app sent shares of China’s dominant search engine plunging, but analysts cautioned Google still faces hurdles in regaining entry to the country after a tense departure eight years ago.

Trade friction with the U.S. is one obstacle. The U.S. and China have so far both imposed tit-for-tat tariffs, but if the Trump administration dramatically expands the tariffs, as it has threatened, China can’t keep pace because it imports fewer goods from the U.S.